Top

Vizag, Kanpur likely to be new IPL venues, Bengaluru to host finals

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla says Mumbai Indians will reply by April 17 while Pune prefers Vizag.

New Delhi: IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Friday said that four options have been made available to Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants among the new venues for the tournament.

"We gave four options to both the affected franchises - Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Kanpur and Jaipur," said Shukla after the meeting here.

"Mumbai Indians will reply by April 17 while Pune has given Visakhapatnam preference. We'll put the proposal of Pune team before Governing Council," he added.

"We'll propose before Governing Council that Final & Q1 be shifted to Bengaluru, Q2 and eliminator to Kolkata," added Shukla.

After the Bombay High Court ordered shifting of 13 IPL matches out of drought-hit Maharashtra, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) called a meeting to discuss the new venues.

Shukla met the franchise owners to discuss the potential options.

Officials representing Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants were present. They were provided with a list of alternative venues which will alter be rectified by the governing council.

Earlier, Shukla had said the board would also file an appeal before the High Court, seeking approval for holding the match to be held on May 1 in Maharashtra, as it would be impossible for Pune to shift to a different venue within 24 hours as they host the Gujarat Lions on April 29.

The court had earlier allowed the BCCI to host IPL matches in Maharashtra till April 30, after which the rest of the matches must be shifted out of the state.

The order came despite an assurance from the BCCI that they were ready to supply 40 lakh litres of water to the drought-affected areas in the state, besides agreeing to contribute Rs. 5 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

The court's decision came on a PIL filed by NGO 'Loksatta Movement' against the hosting of the IPL matches in Maharashtra, which is facing severe water crisis.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle / ANI )
Next Story